At the corner of Mardol and Roushill, an extraordinary creature hangs upside down from one of Shrewsbury’s timber-framed buildings. Commonly mistaken for a crocodile, it is known as the Mardol Dragon.

Number 63 Mardol is an early-sixteenth-century house with jettied upper floors. During restoration in 1986, a steel beam was inserted to strengthen the corner, occupying the position traditionally held by a diagonal “dragon beam”. Woodcarver B. Haigh transformed its exposed end into a literal dragon - an architectural conceit.

The dragon is a witty modern intervention that explains an obscure piece of timber-framing terminology through sculpture. It rewards anyone who looks upwards - and continues Shrewsbury’s tradition of allowing its buildings to remain eccentric, expressive and alive.

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